My Prisoner
by drowninginmysleep5
Summary: Zuko has been encouraged to make a new life. But he finds his new life more than he can handle
1. Ba Sing Not Safe

Zuko promised his uncle he would try to make a better life. It seems he has, but not in the way his uncle intended.

**no Avatar ownership**

Chapter one: Ba Sing not safe

Zuko looked around his uncle's tea shop. He had refused to make a life here at first, but he was planning an escape. He had secret place in the woods where he was going to live for a while until he found out what his next move would be. His obsession for the Avatar might not be dead, but it was under control. His next objective was to kill his own father. The man who had marked, betrayed, and dishonored his own son. Zuko wanted nothing more than to feel the blood from the Fire Lord's body spill into his hands.

"_Fight me boy."_

"_No father, I will not fight you!"_

"_You have dishonored me. Stand up and take your punishment like a man!"_

"_No father, please!"_

"Zuko!" the sound of his uncle's voice ripped him out of his trance and back to the present.

"What is it uncle?" he asked.

"We have a young lady costumer at the table nearest the door. I need to take her order," he told Zuko handing him a menu.

"Since when does a tea shop need menus?"

"Since we started getting all these upper class costumers. They are really good tippers. I wish to give them the best our tea shop has to offer. Now get going! We've got costumers!"

Zuko snatched the menu from his uncle who was smiling widely, that's when he saw her. It was the Avatar's friend. Katara. She was very attractive now that he saw her. She had grown into a young woman. She would most likely be the object of the Avatar's desire. It had been two years since they had arrived in Ba Sing Se and he had never once seen this girl within these city walls.

Suddenly, panic filled his mind. He couldn't let her see him. It would blow both his and his uncle's cover. He took the menu his uncle had handed him and hid his face. He slowly approached the table making as casual an appearance as possible.

"Can I help you?" he asked still hiding his face.

"I'll take the secret recipe tea. I heard it is quite good," she responded.

"Coming right up, Katara," Zuko slapped himself in the forehead.

"Excuse me? How did you know my name?" she asked.

"Umm…I've seen you around the city and I've heard some little bald monk kid say it once or twice," he lied. But as he peered around his disguise, he saw that she did not buy it.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"You don't want to know."

"You must have known me before I came to the city for I have never been to this part of town."

"No, please, I'll just bring you your order."

"Fine," she replied. "This never happened."

Zuko breathed a sigh of relief as he went into the back and asked his uncle to make her order.

"She sure is pretty," he stated taking the herbs needed to make her drink.

"She is a friend of the Avatar's. She is no ally of mine," Zuko responded.

"Now, Zuko, the last time you had a woman at your side was the first few months we were here. Don't you remember?"

"Yes I do," Zuko replied. The truth was, his uncle was not aware of his reputation around here. He had gotten quite a name among the ladies of Ba Sing Se. He had always been a people pleaser as he was told when he was younger and here he had lived up that reputation.

Zuko brought a tray of Katara's tea to her table with his menu perfectly in place.

"Thank you," she said looking at her tea and begging to sip it. Zuko returned to the back of the shop and watched her. She was his enemy and he was hers. But it gave him satisfaction that she had come to his shop…or at least his uncle's shop. It meant that he had the upper because obviously she didn't know who he was. When she had finished, he decided to venture to her table once more to take up her trash and collect his pay from her. He brought his handy-dandy menu and hid his face.

"How did you like it?" he asked behind his mask.

"This shop deserves its reputation," she responded.

"Is there anything else I can do?" he asked getting ready to make a dash for the kitchen and out of her life.

"Yes actually," she replied. Out of nowhere, she brought up a stream of water that whipped the menu from his hands. She gasped and ran for her life.

He couldn't let her go back to her little friends and tell them of his presence in the city, he took off after her.


	2. Saving Yourself

Chapter two: Saving yourself

Zuko followed behind her as closely as he could without her knowing that she was being followed. He saw her look around a few times and he would duck out of sight. Obviously, she was unaware that he was following her. He saw her go into a small house near the capitol of the town. All he could do was wait for her to go back out on her own, or for the rest of the household to leave. He sat there thinking. He was once again, in one of those tricky situations because of his inability to think things through. He would have to make sure that she didn't tell her little companions or worse, the Earth king. If word got to him about Fire Nation or Ex-Fire Nation civilians inside the walls of his perfect city, he shuddered to think what would happen to him or his uncle.

He sat outside of there house, hidden, for what seemed like hours. The sun had already set at least. His head jolted up as he heard the front door open. He looked to see her brother, the Avatar, and the blind earth bender leave the building, as well as their pet lemur. But there was no Katara in sight. She was alone. He could make his move. He slowly crept to the front of the house to see steam rising from one part of the house. The young water bender must have been cooking or taking a bath. He pushed the door open as quietly as he could. He stepped into the house to feel the air thick with steam. His hypothesis had been correct. She was taking a bath on one side of the house. He made sure that his shoes did not squeak as he approached the bathroom. He saw her in a long white robe testing the temperature of the water. She slowly slipped it off making Zuko flush red as soon as he saw it hit the ground. He tried to look away, but it was like a car crash, a very beautiful one at that. She was perfectly shaped from all the training she had to do to keep her strength and it showed. She had a flat stomach and perfectly shaped breasts. He turned away from the scene so as to not blow his cover. He turned back around to see her under the water.

_Thank the gods_, he thought just to make himself feel better.

She had her eyes closed as she let the sensation of the water come over her. If there was anytime to strike, it would be now. He readied himself and ran into the room. Before she could make a sound, he had knocked her out with a blow to her head. He took her white robe and redressed her in it before slinging her over his shoulder and carrying her out of the house. He stayed completely hidden when taking her to his little cabin that he had been working on.

Katara awoke with a jolt. She found herself bound to the wooden floor of a small hut by Fire Nation chains. She held a chained hand to her head. She had a throbbing headache and couldn't imagine why. More importantly, she looked down to see that she was only wearing her white robe her Gram-Gram had made her a few years ago…and it was open. She yelped and closed it. She heard footsteps approaching and saw the one person in the world that could make this worse. Zuko.

"You!" she yelled trying to lung at it but was bound to the spot by her chains. She reached down to open her bending water canteen, but it was gone.

"Looking for this?" Zuko asked with a smirk holding up the canteen. Katara smiled and tried to bend the water from outside the container. But nothing happened. "You don't seriously I wouldn't empty it before coming here, did you?"

"You better let me go if you don't want to feel serious pain," she growled struggling at her binds.

"Let's see, you're in **my **cabin, kidnapped by **me**, and you're **my** prisoner," he said mockingly. "My, my, my it seems there is little you in that phrase. **You** have no room to bargain and that's about all you have while here."

"I swear when I get free," she threatened.

"You'll tell the Earth King what he already knows," Zuko said angrily.

"Earth King? What are talking about?"

"Well of course you told your little friends that my uncle and I were staying in here."

"I did no such thing."

"You lie!"

"No I don't! Why would I tell them? You said it yourself I would have nothing to bargain."

"Then I am sorry about the misunderstanding."

"Then let me go! You have your information, I am no use to you," Katara pleaded.

"On the contrary, you are the one thing I want here right now," he replied smirking at her once more. "Tell me Katara, is there anyone who desires you right now?"

"What are talking about? All I know is that Aang likes me as more than a friend, but that's it," she responded taking aback.

"Wrong! The Avatar desires for you to be by his side, yes. But your brother desires to protect you. And even the Blind Bandit desires to have your eternal friendship. But I, I desire more. I desire you and although in the years I chased the Avatar it did not show, I get what I want."

"You're sick," she snapped. He looked like he was going to hit her, but instead he held out a bowl.

"I am not sick. The sick deserve sympathy. I am a monster. I was created by a monster. I do not deserve the sympathy you and your people do. Never call me sick again," he said extending the bowl to her.

"It's poison," she told him skeptically.

"It's a cure for your headache. I'll be back in a while; I have to check in with my uncle."

"Very unprepared for me I see." Zuko got close to her and looked her in the eye.

"Although I have a problem thinking before acting, I was perfectly prepared for you." He wrapped an arm around her waist and breathed in her ear. "No matter how disgusted you may appear, you want me just as every other girl in this city does." He slowly breathed in her ear and she closed her eyes at the sensation. "I may not be a healer like you or my uncle," he whispered, "but a quickened heart rate does mean something."

He released her making her insides yearn for his warmth. "I'll be back."


	3. Thinking

Chapter three: Thinking

"You are an idiot! You never ever think about this stuff! You can't possibly think you're going to get away with this! Why did I leave you alone? I knew you would do something like this!" his uncle went on and one about how bad of move he had made.

"I know I messed up," Zuko responded bowing his head to his uncle. "But I came here to tell you I have a plan."

"And what would that be?"

"I am going to keep her there till I feel like the Avatar would stop searching and rely on pure hope that she will come back."

"And how is this supposed to make me feel better?"

"Because uncle, it will keep us safe. When I'm through with her, she will never tell the Earth King that we're here."

"You worry me, boy. You should really gain some common sense."

"Don't come looking for me uncle," Zuko said before leaving the tea shop.

"Good luck," Iroh whispered as his nephew left.

Katara sighed trying to think of how she was going to get out of this one. Zuko would have probably been smart enough to remove all water from this place if he had intentions of bringing her here. She thought about Zuko. She wanted to know where he had gotten his scar. She wanted to know more about him. He was her enemy and she hated him. The only way to rid him from her life was to find his weakness and strike him there. She had never hated anyone more than she hated him, but boy did she want him. His appeal to her was great, but when it came down to it, she would kill him the first chance she got.

She heard him enter the cabin. He held a blade in his hands, she flinched as he brought it down to the ground near her, but instead of cutting her into pieces, he had just cut a fruit he had bought from a stand outside his uncle's tea shop.

"Eat," he commanded. She started eating not taking her glaring eyes off him.

_God, he's hot_, she thought eating slowly.

"You can't keep me away from water forever," she informed him.

"I will take out to the stream tomorrow to get a nice long drink. But you will be blindfolded so you can not see where the stream is," he told her eating his half of the fruit.

_She really is beautiful_, he thought staring at her.

"I can still bend the water even if I can't see it," she informed him.

_How can he not have a girlfriend?_

"Silly girl, I'm not worried about you bending the water. Trust me, you will not want to," he said smirking.

_I can't see how the Avatar has kept his hands off her._

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked curiously.

_It's taking all the effort I have not to kiss him_.

"You would be giving up living here, and I don't think you want to do that."

_Gods almighty I want to kiss her._

"And what's so beneficial about living with you?"

_He smells so good…_

_She's intoxicating_…

"You want me," he whispered closing in on her. His face was so close to hers, but he didn't kiss her and it was killing Katara. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to make her give in before he did. She didn't fall for it.

"Katara…" he whispered. That was it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and crashed her lips onto his. He smiled as he felt the cold metal of the chain. He ran his tongue across her bottom lip and she gladly opened her mouth. He took his tongue and ran it over the inside of her bottom lip. She moaned into his mouth. She had never kissed a man that bold to try something like that. She opened her eyes realizing he was in control. She pushed him to the ground and crawled on top of him. He wasn't going to let her do this that easily. He tired to grab hold of her, but she caught his wrists in a tight grip. She was really strong. She then lowered her had to his mouth and caught his lips with hers once more.

"Oh no, you don't," he growled against her lips. He flipped her over and found himself tangled in her chains.

"You loose Zuko," she breathed heavily. "If you wish to proceed, you must unchain me."

Zuko stared at the clever bender underneath him. Lust to fury in his brown eyes.

"Fine then," he said getting up. "See you in the morning."

Katara slept very peacefully that night knowing she had won that battle.

A smile was plastered on her face from her victory over the prince. Zuko, however, sat up awake up at the ceiling. _That little slut. Thinking she can toy with my emotions like that. We'll see about that tomorrow. _He looked over at the small pile of cloths he had bought earlier when he had gone into town to see his uncle. He smiled. _Let's see how much she's willing to do. _

Across town, a confused Aang, Sokka, and Toph returned to an empty house.

"Where could she have gone?" Aang asked looking at the filled bathtub. "Her clothes are still here."

"I think she left with someone's help," Sokka growled taking out his boomerang as if this would help. "I'll throw this and see if it leads us to her." Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy.

"You don't honestly think that will help us," Aang said.

"I think it will Aang," Toph said. "I mean I can already see Katara."

"Thank you Toph…you know you're really mean," Sokka said looking at the Blind Bandit. And so the search began.


	4. Bargaining

Chapter four: Bargaining

Sokka and Toph took downtown, while Aang searched uptown. Everywhere they went people would just stare at them like they were crazy.

"Did you guys find anything?" Aang asked.

"No, I didn't find her and no one has seen her," Sokka responded shaking his head. "It's like she vanished into thin air."

"Wait!" Toph exclaimed. "I think I saw in the market place!"

"That's great Toph, which market…" Sokka began. "You need to seriously stop that.

Katara woke the next morning to sunlight pouring into the room she was in. She stretched and felt chains on her skin. She sighed in disappointment. She had hoped that the vivid "dream" that was yesterday was merely that, a dream. Her stomach growled and she put a hand to it. Boy would she do anything for a good cup of tea and a bushel of apples. She knew it sounded cheesy, but she loved fruits. Since she had started traveling the world with Aang, she had been introduced to many different varieties of food. It was always too cold where she lived to grow that many crops and fruits were fairly new to her. She loved a good apple or a bunch of ripe green grapes. Her fantasies of apples were interrupted by the heavy footsteps of her worst enemy. He held in his hands a blindfold and a basket of fish. He threw the fish at her.

"Eat, we're going to the stream to get you something to drink," he informed her.

After she had her fill of fish, he took her by the hand. She thought he was going to kiss her again, but instead he turned her around and placed the blindfold over her eyes.

"Don't you dare take it off," he growled into her ear.

"And if I do?" she asked boldly.

"You'll pay for it tonight when you're screaming my name," he whispered in her ear. She couldn't hold herself up any longer. Her knees gave and she stumbled. Zuko held her up and led her out the door and to the stream. All Katara could hear for what seemed like hours, was the crunching of leaves.

"We're here," Zuko finally said. Katara frowned. Instead of hearing the steady drip of a stream there was thundering splash that meant a waterfall. She decided to make a break for it, but Zuko was way ahead of her. He grabbed her wrists and held her against his body.

"Let me go you monster!" she cried.

"Glad you remembered," he hissed taking both her hands in one of his. He took a powder out of his pocket and blew it into her face. She coughed at the bad taste and smell of the unknown substance. "That disables your bending."

"Brilliant."

"I want you to take a bath here."

"You must think I'm stupid. I know this is just an opportunity to see me naked!" she snapped.

"Although I admire your quick thinking," Zuko told her, "I wish for my prisoner to be clean. I don't want to stare a dirty person all day."

"Fine, but turn around so I can get undressed."

"You mean disrobed."

"Shut up, and turn around." Katara made sure he was completely turned around before slowly slipping her white robe off. Zuko looked around at her as soon as he felt her eyes leave him. He stared at her perfect body hungrily. He would have to have her soon. He quickly turned around when he heard her mutter something.

"Okay," she said. He turned around to see her covering herself.

"Why cover yourself up? You have a nice body; you shouldn't be ashamed of it."

"It's not that I don't like my body, it's just that I'm ashamed of who's looking at it."

"Oh, that one cut deep."

"Turn back around while I get into the water," she commanded. She slipped into the cold water as quietly as possible and began to swim away from Zuko. As far as she could. She found that there was a cavern behind the waterfall.

Zuko turned to see that Katara was gone.

_She couldn't have gotten far. She's got no clothes and as far as I'm concerned, she doesn't want to leave me,_ he thought. He quickly slipped his shirt off and dove into the water.

Katara climbed onto a rock in her hiding place and hugged her knees. She knew Zuko would come looking for her, but she didn't care. She just needed one peaceful moment to think to herself. A moment which she didn't get. She heard someone splashing behind her and it didn't take a wise man to figure out who it was.

"Go away," she said not even looking at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, should I start with right now or yesterday?" Zuko looked like he was about to hit her. Instead, he came up beside her on the rock.

"There was something bothering you before I captured you."

"I hate traveling everywhere. Not knowing when you're leaving or where you're going next. It was how I lost my virginity. I thought we were going to stay in a certain place for good, but it turned out we left three days after I gave myself to this guy."

"Who?"

"A powerful earth bender," she simply replied. Zuko slipped into the water once more. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in with him. She didn't even look at him. She couldn't. He lifted her face to his.

"You're beautiful and I hate you."

"Same here," she replied leaning her forehead against his.

"How about we show each other just how much we hate each other right here," he suggested wiggling his eyebrows. She glared at him.

"I really do hate you," she hissed.

"You want me," he stated.

"That doesn't stop me from knowing that I would kill you in a second if asked to," she told him removing herself from his grip and swimming back to the shore. She put her robe back on and heard him behind her.

"Same here," he said in her ear right before he slipped the blindfold over her eyes.


	5. For This

Chapter five: For this

Katara and Zuko returned to the cabin about an hour later. Zuko chained her up and left for almost three hours. He was pissed. He had never been denied like that before. But as he entered his room that adjoined the spot where he kept Katara, he smiled. Soon he would get what he wanted.

Sokka and Toph came upon a tea shop where they spotted a familiar looking old man watering a patch of lotus flowers. "Oh no," the man muttered right before Sokka cornered him.

"Iroh, long time no see," Sokka said, "literally, since Toph hasn't. So where's Zuko these days?"

"I actually haven't a clue."

"That's funny because we're missing someone too."

"Really, I haven't a clue what you are talking about."

"Really, did you see that Toph…oh yeah…well did you hear that?" he asked. Toph raised a mound of dirt over Iroh.

"Wait!" he yelled. Toph dropped the mound of dirt on Sokka.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Sorry," she said innocently, "I thought you were Iroh."

"Can I speak now?" Iroh asked. "I'm sorry, but Zuko has taken your friend. The problem is that he refused to tell me where they are."

Katara heard Zuko's voice from his room.

"Unlock yourself and come to my room," he instructed.

"How?" she asked but a key was being slid to her as she spoke. She unchained herself and headed to his room. She saw upon entering that Zuko had a bundle of clothes in one of his hands.

"I have an offer for you," he said slyly.

"What would that be?" she asked suspiciously.

"I will give you clothes to wear instead of that robe," he told her.

"The catch?"

"You have to prove to me that you deserve them. Make me know that they will be better to me once taken off as opposed to putting back on." Katara looked at his smirking face. She felt of anger and lust. All she wanted to dominate him.

She pushed him against the nearest wall crashing their lips into a bruising embrace. She forced her tongue in his mouth keeping him pinned to the wall. He growled and changed positions so that she was against the wall. She bit his lip and sucked the blood that trickled from it as a result. Power, they both were power hungry. His mouth moved from her lips to her neck. He bit it gently enough to make her feel pain but not enough to bleed. She gasped and grabbed his hair in her hands. She wanted him to feel the pain that she did, but he simply grabbed her hair and pushed her head back for easier access to her neck. She needed to gain control of the situation at hand. She ripped off his shirt, literally tearing it off him. She pushed him away from her before capturing his mouth with hers once more. She then started to trace her finger slowly down his lean chest to the button on his pants. She slowly began to undo each one. With a cry of frustration, Zuko pushed her onto the bed and removed his pants before climbing on her. He pulled off the robe that separated him from his final destination. He pinned her arms above her head with just one of his. He then moved his head down her body between her legs.

"Damn you!" she gasped struggling beneath him. He smirked as he sunk his teeth into her thigh before slipping his tongue into her.

"Fuck you!" she gasped as he pleasured her. She bucked her hips into him. Suddenly, the feeling of fire licking her veins traveled through her body and she shuddered as she came. He returned to her mouth and kissed her deeply. She flipped him over pinning him to the bed. She looked at him with hate and lust before positioning herself above his member. With one last glare, she slammed onto his cock and into her body. She began to ride him slowly, but an impatient growl from the man below her made her move up and down on his member faster and faster. She felt herself reaching her end, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being last. She kept going trying to hold herself, but she couldn't hold anymore.

"Oh, gods," she cried before cuming. In her weakened state, Zuko flipped her over so that he was on top of her. He moved in and out of her fiercely to the point that she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You…will…learn…to…be…submissive," he grunted with each thrust.

"Ne…never," she gasped clawing her fingernails into his back.

"Say it," he grunted in her ear. "Say my name."

"No," she hissed. He thrust into her deeper and harder than before. She cried out loudly, "NO!" He went as deep as she allowed.

"ZUKO!" she screamed as she had another orgasm. He reached his end and collapsed as he came into her. Both were so tired, that they fell asleep in that position.

The next morning, Katara woke up to feel a weight on her chest. She looked to see a fully naked Zuko on top of her. She remembered the previous night and smiled inspite of herself. _Who would have thought he would be such a good lover_, she thought. She tried to get up from under him, but she felt herself pinned. He weighed too much. He stirred from her moments and finally awoke.

"Morning prisoner," he said stretching. He climbed off her and slipped on his boxers.

"So is that it?" she asked. "You've gotten what you want, can I go home?"

"Not yet," he said.

"Why not?"

"A good capture would never let his captive go this early."

"But I'm..."

"I'm just getting started, and baby, I know you don't want to leave either," he told her smirking.

"I'll that smirk right off your face. I hate you, you idiotic, arrogent, je..." but Zuko had pushed her back onto the bed and was hold her arms at her side. He slowly slipped his boxers off and looked into her eyes befire positioning himself at her entrance.

"Tell me that you wanted it."

She began to breathe heavier from anticipation, but she shook her head. He was barley inside of her. "Tell me..."

"I want it, you win."

"Good little water bender," he told her before diving into her. Her breathing became hitched and her eyes widened as he moved in and out of her. All thought of going home to Aang, Toph, and Sokka was gone as her body shook with pleasure and all thought of what she was to do when she got back, how she would explain that she was sleeping with her mortal enemy, was erased as he came with her deep inside of her body.


	6. Swing Life Away

Chapter six: Swing life away

Katara had dressed in the clothes Zuko had given her. She was so mixed up. She hated him more than she hated the Fire Nation. She was having sex with the man who had been responsible for her misery. She was sleeping with the enemy.

She looked to see that Zuko was out of sight and the door was wide open. Her heartbeat quickened. If she could only find that waterfall and from there get some bending water, she would be protected and ready to find her way back home. She quietly tiptoed to the door and looked around behind her and outside the door. All was clear. She sprinted like there was no tomorrow. She followed the quiet sound of running water in the distance. Soon, she came upon her destination. And there was Zuko.

"I thought you might do that," he said calmly. "I wanted to see how good your sense of direction was."

"Why won't you let me go?"

"I can't!" he finally bellowed at her. She looked at him confused at his sudden outburst. "Can't you see what we have? I make you happy, and if you can't see that, then you are the blindest person I have ever seen."

"You're the enemy Zuko," Katara told him putting a hand on his shoulder.

"If only you knew," he muttered turning away from her.

"Then make me know," she told him.

"You've got to trust that everything I tell you is true," he said grabbing her hand and leading her over to the shade of a tree.

"I'll you mine story if you tell me yours," she promised sitting down on the ground next to him.

"Okay," Zuko said breathing in deeply before continuing.

_It was a cold night for where they were located. The Fire Lord was sending out troops to take over the great city of Ba Sing Se. A young man with a smooth face and handsome features was sitting next to a beautiful woman on the steps of the Fire Lord's temple._

"_Mother, when will stop this madness?" asked the boy. "Men are dying out there all apart of father's plans. And these aren't the enemy either, they are our men."_

"_Soon you will understand son that war is not the answer at all," the woman responded sadly._

"_Hold your tongue woman," the young man exploded._

"_Don't talk to me like that Zuko."_

"_I am sorry for my out burst, mother."_

"_It is quite alright with me dear. But be careful, your father does not feel the same way. He takes anger very offensively, like it directed towards him."_

"_I know mother, I know." The boy and his mother sat there watching the small lights that were the hundreds and hundreds of soldiers heading out to the great city. "I miss my cousin," the boy finally said breaking their long silence. "Why send uncle back out to the war so early. It will take him forever to heal his emotional wounds. Just you wait and see."_

"_Your uncle is a smart man and a good actor. Your father believes he is ready for battle again, therefore he is back in the war."_

"_Sorry to interrupt," a voice behind them said. They turned to see the woman's daughter behind them. "Father would like a word mother."_

"_Yes, dear, tell him I am coming."_

"_I'll come with you."_

"_No Zuko, you must stay here."_

"_But why…"_

"_Trust me son, you will not want to hear to this conversation."_

_The boy watched his sister and mother walk away slowly into the temple. As soon as he knew they were far enough away not to hear him, he followed._

_He pursued them right to his father's personal chambers where his mother stood before him._

"_You have insulted me woman!" the Fire Lord bellowed._

"_Yes, I know," his mother responded calmly._

"_And you know the price of treason in this nation."_

"_Yes, I do."_

"_Tell me; was it worth trying to learn fire bending from your own son for the price of death?"_

"_Yes, actually it was," she said before the Fire Lord shot her down. His own wife lay there, bleeding before him, dead at his hand._

_The earth village Aang has decided to stop at was busy with the hustle and bustle of business. They had been there for almost three days, and Katara was sure they would not be returning to Ba Sing Se. This, at last, was going to be their home._

"_Katara," a voice said behind her as she shopped in the market. She turned to see her old friend Haru standing behind her._

"_Haru!" she exclaimed throwing her arms around him. His face turned red and she too blushed when pulled away to see what a handsome young man he had become in the year they had been apart._

"_How's life been treating you?" he asked._

"_Actually pretty good. We might actually stay here for good," she responded._

"_Really? Well, how long have you been here?" he asked._

"_Only three days, but Aang likes it and Toph fits in and Sokka is getting warrior training…"_

"_So you guys really like it here?"_

"_Pretty much."_

"_Here, let me take that basket for you," he offered._

"_Oh, thanks. So, what's a powerful bender like you doing in a city like this?"_

"_Well, I came here to expand my education. I have a better understanding business and trade. I've actually started my own business chain here."_

"_That's great Haru! I'm really happy for you."_

"_Thank you Katara."_

_They walked and talked just like old times. Except there was something different about this than old times. Or maybe, it was just the people that were different. The sun had finally set when Haru walked her home._

"_This is my stop," she told him stopping outside the building the town leader had given to them as a gift of gratitude that the Avatar was staying in their village._

"_I'll see you later then," he said._

"_You most certainly will," she responded smiling._

"_Well, goodnight."_

"_Goodnight."_

_As Haru walked away, he made up his mind._

"_Katara!" he called back to her running back to her place. She froze about to step inside and turned around to see him running to her._

"_Yes?" she asked as he stood at the steps of porch. He didn't say anything but walked up to her and kissed her. She pulled away placing her forehead on his. "Would you like to come inside for awhile?"_

"_I really would."_

"The next day, Aang told me that he had completed an earth bending course and that was why he had stayed there so long. We left three days later and I haven't seen Haru since," Katara said finishing.

"I am so sorry," Zuko said.

"I am sorry too. The Fire Nation took my mom too."

"I guess we're not as different as we like think."


	7. Runaway

Chapter 7: Runaway

The two sat there soaking in each other's stories.

"I had no idea," Katara said sadly.

"Nobody ever does," Zuko responded not even looking at her.

"Zuko, I wish there was something I could do or something I could say to make it better…"

"Nothing can be done. What's happened has happened. It's all in the past now and I just have to move ahead…I have moved ahead."

"Have you?"

Zuko looked at the Water Tribe girl confused. Whenever he had opened up to people in the past, it only pushed them away to know the dysfunction from which he came. But here was Katara standing next to him still.

"I've made as much progress as can be expected," he responded not looking at her.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea your father was like that. To his own son too."

"When the Avatar kills him, I hope he sits there and bleeds like my mother. I hope he struggles for his last breath. I hope he feels the pain that burns in my heart everyday I think of him."

"Zuko…"she began, but he quickly put a finger on her lips.

"We have to go," he told her.

The next day, Katara awoke to the bright day. She looked around her and realized Zuko was still asleep and had left some water from the day before lying around the house. She quickly drew the water to her using her bending and quickly placed it upon her chains. She then froze it and, preparing to run as soon as she succeeded, gave the chains a violent tug. A loud cracking noise mixed with the thunk of the metal hitting the floors awoke Zuko. But Katara was already running, running.

She knew that if she went the exact opposite of where he took her yesterday, it was most likely going to lead her back to the city. She ran and ran though her legs felt like they were on fire. She ran into a low hanging branch and scrapped her face up, but she just kept going like nothing mattered. She fell on a rock and looked behind her to see an angry Zuko right behind her. Her expression went from fear to anger as she brought up all the strength she had and kicked him in the stomach right as he was about to grab her. He flew through the air and his back hit a tree.

"Sweet," she muttered grinning wickedly. She got up and kept running till finally, she arrived at Ba Sing Se.

Aang was pacing the room nervously. There was still no sign of Katara anywhere and they had been searching for days.

"Hey, look!" Sokka yelled out of the blue. "Aang, look out the window!"

Aang ran to the nearest window and spotted Katara running up the street to their house.

"Katara!" he yelled running out of the front door. Katara threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Aang. I'm so happy to see you," she said.

"What happened to you?" he asked observing the scars on her face.

Katara was about to answer him truthfully about how Zuko had captured her and how she had slept with him and how his mother had died. But it all disappeared from her brain to be replaced with a lie.

"I went out to the woods for a while. I'm sorry I never told you. I just needed some time to myself," she explained.

"Then how come you have scars all over your face?" Aang asked.

"I had a run in with a tree branch. But don't worry, I got the best of it," she joked.

"I'm just so glad you're home," Aang said.

As Katara entered the house, she was immediately greeted by her brother's shouts of disapproval.

"Camping!?! You were out camping?!?! How could you do that!?!? We've been looking all over the city for you!?!?" Sokka yelled turning red in the face.

"Oh calm down ponytail," Toph said punching Sokka in the arm. Sokka fell over.

That night, as Katara prepared for bed, she looked out the window in her room on the second floor. Although she would never admit it to his face, she longed for Zuko to come looking for her. She didn't know what it was but she found herself infatuated by him. She hated him more than the fire nation that had killed her mother, but she still wanted him more than anything else. She turned away from the window and climbed into bed.

Outside the small house that belonged to the Avatar, a young man with a scar across his eye stood watching as the lights in a room he so longed to be in turn off. Zuko stared at Katara's window with a look of anger and lust. He wanted her and wanted her to pay and she would pay when she came looking for him. Oh yes, he knew she would come looking for him.


	8. Payback

Chapter 8: Payback

Katara awoke the next morning later than she usually did. She slowly made her way down stairs to where Sokka was throwing his boomerang and letting Momo chase it around the room.

"Morning sleepyhead," Sokka said when he noticed her.

"You hungry Katara?" Aang asked from the kitchen.

"No, no thanks Aang, I'm going to go out to town today," she told him.

On her way out, Aang stopped her.

"Is there anything you're not telling us?" he asked. Katara looked into his eyes and just the mere sight of them alone made her want to tell him.

"No, I'm fine," she replied plastering a fake smile on her face.

"I'm here for you Katara. Anytime you need to talk or tell me anything, I'll always be here and I'll never judge you."

"No, it's alright Aang. I'm fine; I'm just a little tired."

"Alright, be safe in town."

"Oh, believe me I will be."

Zuko was tidying up the shop when he spotted someone all too familiar to him pass right by the tea shop's door. A smirk erupted across his face as he realized she had done that just for his attention.

"You can run, but you can't hide," he muttered continuing his sweeping. All it would take was a glimpse of him and she would come running back to him. The second time she passed the shop, they made eye contact. Her delicate blue eyes met his cold gray ones. Katara felt a shiver run up her back and Zuko and almost smiled in delight knowing what he had just done to her. But they continued to glare at each other. Zuko was confident that he had won this battle and was certain she would come into the tea shop. But instead, Katara turned her head from him and moved on. Zuko's insides burned in both anger and pain. Why did this meaningless water tribe filth have such an effect on him? It made no sense to him and yet it all did. She was the one thing that he would be forbidden by his people to touch and yet that was what made her so desirable to him.

Katara walked away from the tea shop and turned into an alley. She had to lean against the wall for support. She couldn't let him get to her like that. She held her head thinking. What was it about him that made her want him? Everything was the only response that came to mind. His coldness that seemed to push you away and pull you in at the same time, his split face one side representing the happy boy that had existed long ago and the other representing the defeat that had been put upon him, and his off limits touch. If Sokka or Aang knew about this, they would freak. They would probably not let her exit the house…ever! She simply would have to resist as best as she could.

Katara was on her way back to the house, when she heard a voice all too familiar for her taste.

"Looking for someone today?" Zuko said leaning against a tree.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am," Katara replied fumbling with her water pouch behind her back.

"Well, I'm here."

"And I see that," she said shooting a spike of frozen water right to his throat. She held it right over his Adam's apple.

"Now, now, girls with tempers never get what they want," Zuko said calmly.

"Says who?"

"Just drive that threw my throat and let's just see if you don't regret it."

Katara glared at him and lowered the spike slowly. "Good girl."

"Tell me Zuko, was that anger or longing when I left you standing in your uncle's tea shop?" she asked smirking at him.

Zuko's face turned a brilliant shade of red and he raised his hand. Katara flinched.

"You're lucky I don't believe in hitting a less worthy opponent," he said lowering his hand.

"You vial piece of filth. How dare you say that about someone who has taken you on without anything but her instinct and adrenalin? How dare you talk to me like that after all I have told you?"

"Yes, then let me rephrase my reply with that in mind. A less than worthy opponent or a slut, I will not hit."

"You could die for all I care."

"Then why didn't you do the job yourself?"

"Because I would never want that on my conscience."

"What exactly wouldn't you want on your conscience?"

"Someone who has yet to settle an argument with both himself and the world he grew up in." Zuko stopped and looked at the Katara with confusion.

"Why say such a thing?"

"Because it's true. Look at yourself; you haven't forgiven yourself for losing your honor, for losing your mother. You won't rest till you avenge her death and your banishment."

"Pathetic girl, hold your tongue for you do not know what are talking about!"

"Every time I try to say something that digs deep, you push me away. Why is that Zuko? Is it because you hate it when someone knows too much? Is it because you're too afraid to trust? Or is it because you're the coward I know you've been all along."

Zuko could have hit her; instead he grabbed her arms in a bruising grip and turned her around so that she was slammed against the tree. He then crashed his lips into hers. Katara tried to fight for the upper hand, but her arms lay weak in Zuko's powerful grip. Zuko pressed her against the tree as much as physically possible so that they were closer than ever. He then slipped his lips from her lips to her neck. He sucked it gaining a jerk from the girl before him. She tilted her head back into the tree exposing her neck to him. Making it easier for him. She trying to fight it, but she wanted to be controlled by him.

"I hate you," she gasped.

"I loath you," he said. Katara realized it was all about competition with them. If one said one thing, the other would have to top it with something else. Zuko let one of her arms so he could grab her neck; this gave Katara the ability to entangle her hand in his hair. But when Zuko's hand traveled from behind her neck to her chest, she pushed him away.

"I can't, this is wrong," she said walking away. Zuko sank down the tree holding his head.

"Damn her," he muttered.


End file.
